The member is legally required to notify CCO in writing as soon as practicable if they are charged with an offense. Failure to do so is considered professional misconduct and subject to sanction as per the Regulated Health Professions Act.
By law, CCO will update the member’s public profile in the public register to display the current outstanding charges, and any specific bail conditions or release restrictions imposed by the court or agreed to in an undertaking between the College and the accused.
CCO’s Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) or the College’s Registrar can initiate a formal investigation into the registrant’s professional practice to determine if the conduct underlying the criminal charges poses a risk to the public or is likely to expose the chiropractor’s patients to harm. The ICRC can impose an interim suspension, or interim terms, conditions, and limitations on the chiropractor’s certificate of registration while the charges are pending if it is satisfied that the statutory criteria have been met
The ICRC can also refer the matter directly to the Discipline committee for a formal hearing, regardless of the status of the criminal trial.
It is important to remember that the legislation that gives authority to CCO (or any healthcare regulator on Ontario) to regulate the profession, prescribes a specific complaints and disciplinary process that permits statutory committees of the CCO, in certain circumstances, to make orders that restrict or prohibit a chiropractor from practicing chiropractic. These processes are not the same as the criminal justice system, nor do they supplant the judicial process, but they may run in parallel with criminal proceedings.